Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more.

Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain - for Life

Debilitating brain disorders are on the rise - from children diagnosed with autism and ADHD to adults developing dementia at younger ages than ever before. But a medical revolution is underway that can solve this problem: Astonishing new research is revealing that the health of your brain is, to an extraordinary degree, dictated by the state of your microbiome - the vast population of organisms that live in your body and outnumber your own cells 10 to one.

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health

Since the introduction of dietary guidelines calling for reduced fat intake in the 1970s, a strange phenomenon has occurred: Americans have steadily, inexorably become heavier, less healthy, and more prone to diabetes than ever before. After putting more than two thousand of his at-risk patients on a wheat-free regimen and seeing extraordinary results, cardiologist William Davis has come to the disturbing conclusion that it is not fat, not sugar, not our sedentary lifestyle that is causing America’s obesity epidemic—it is wheat.

Wheat Belly Total Health: The Ultimate Grain-Free Health and Weight-Loss Life Plan

In his follow-up to the mega best seller Wheat Belly, Dr. Davis helps his listeners take command of their lives and health in the aftermath of wheat. There are many strategies that will help heal the damage caused by years of a wheat-filled diet, and many of these lessons have been learned in the years following Wheat Belly's original release - lessons played out on a broad public stage with over 1,000,000,000 listeners, all participating in this grand adventure.

Do you have to tell your leg to heal from a scrape? Your lungs to take in air? Your body that it's hungry? No. Your body does these things automatically, effortlessly. Vibrant health is your birthright and within your grasp; you just have to step out of the way. In Effortless Healing, online health pioneer, natural medicine advocate, and best-selling author Dr. Joseph Mercola reveals the nine simple secrets to a healthier, thinner you.

Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet

Leading health blogger Jimmy Moore and researcher and internist Dr. Eric C. Westman join forces again to explain the powerful therapeutic effects of a ketogenic diet—one that combines a customized carbohydrate restriction, moderation of protein intake, and real food-based fats—which is emerging in the scientific literature as a means for improving a wide range of diseases, from Type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer's and more. Simply eating a low-carb diet alone isn't enough, and Moore and Westman tell you why. Have you looked at a low-carb diet simply as a means to lose weight? What if you learned that combining a low-carb nutritional approach with a high fat intake produces a powerful therapeutic effect on a wide variety of health conditions that most people think requires medication to control? That’s what Keto Clarity is all about. Jimmy Moore, a leading low-carb diet blogger and podcaster, has reunited with his Cholesterol Clarity co-author Dr. Eric C. Westman, a practicing internist and low-carb diet researcher, to bring you the crystal-clear information you need to understand what a ketogenic diet is and why it may be the missing element in your pursuit of optimal health. This book includes exclusive interviews from twenty of the world's foremost authorities from various fields bringing their depth of expertise and experience using this nutritional approach. Moore and Westman explain why ketosis is normal and how this nutritional approach is being used therapeutically by many medical professionals. You will find a step-by-step guide to help you produce more ketones and track your progress, real life success stories, and more. The solid evidence for nutritional ketosis in dealing with many of the chronic health problems of our day is presented, including but not limited to: epilepsy, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome.

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health

For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, carbohydrates better, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet despite this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Taubes argues that the problem lies in refined carbohydrates, like white flour, easily digested starches, and sugars, and that the key to good health is the kind of calories we take in, not the number.

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

Building upon this critical work in Good Calories, Bad Calories and presenting fresh evidence for his claim, Taubes now revisits the urgent question of what’s making us fat—and how we can change—in this exciting new book. Persuasive, straightforward, and practical, Why We Get Fat makes Taubes’s crucial argument newly accessible to a wider audience.

The Bulletproof Diet: Lose Up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Your Energy and Focus, and Upgrade Your Life

TheBulletproof Diet will change what you think you know about weight loss and wellness. You will skip breakfast, stop counting calories, eat a high-fat diet, work out and sleepless, and handle stress with ease. By ditching traditional "diet" thinking, Asprey has maintained a 100-pound weight loss, increased his IQ, and reached a level of health that seemed unattainable. His 40s are truly better than his 20s, and The Bulletproof Diet brings his best hacks to the masses.

The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long Term Health

Genetics and lifestyle are thought to be the two most important determinants of good health. But that is not the whole story. We have a second genome, our gut bacteria, that sets the dial on our bodies. Unlike our DNA, we can influence the gut bacteria, or microbiota, to optimize all aspects of our health.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Every year, the average American eats 33 pounds of cheese (triple what we ate in 1970) and 70 pounds of sugar (about 22 teaspoons a day). We ingest 8,500 milligrams of salt a day, double the recommended amount, and almost none of that comes from the shakers on our table. It comes from processed food. It’s no wonder, then, that one in three adults, and one in five kids, is clinically obese.

It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways

It Starts With Food outlines a clear, balanced, sustainable plan to change the way you eat forever-and transform your life in profound and unexpected ways. Your success story begins with the Whole30®, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig's powerful 30-day nutritional reset. Since 2009, their underground Whole30 program has quietly led tens of thousands of people to weight loss, enhanced quality of life, and a healthier relationship with food-accompanied by stunning health improvements.

Dish up the red meat, eggs, and whole milk! In this well-researched and captivating narrative, veteran food writer Nina Teicholz proves how everything we've been told about fat is wrong. For decades, Americans have cut back on red meat and dairy products full of "bad" saturated fats. We obediently complied with nutritional guidelines to eat "heart healthy" fats found in olive oil, fish, and nuts, and followed a Mediterranean diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, and grains. Yet the nation's health has declined. What is going on?

The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life

Contrary to conventional wisdom, chronic disease is not genetically predetermined but results from a mismatch between our genes and environment and lifestyle. What we call a "disease" is the outcome of an imbalance in one or more of the seven core physiological processes. Leveraging a lifetime on the cutting edge of research and practice, Dr. Jeffrey S. Bland lays out a road map for good health by helping us understand these processes and the root causes of chronic illness.

Go Wild: Free Your Body and Mind from the Afflictions of Civilization

The scientific evidence behind why maintaining a lifestyle more like that of our ancestors will restore our health and well-being. In Go Wild, Harvard Medical School Professor John Ratey, MD, and journalist Richard Manning reveal that although civilization has rapidly evolved, our bodies have not kept pace.

In the late 1970s when the government mandated we get the fat out of our food, the food industry responded by pouring more sugar in. The result has been a perfect storm, disastrously altering our biochemistry and driving our eating habits out of our control. To help us lose weight and recover our health, Robert Lustig presents personal strategies to readjust the key hormones that regulate hunger, reward, and stress; and societal strategies to improve the health of the next generation.

Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL Is Wrong with My Numbers?

Are you confused by what your cholesterol levels really say about your health? Don't you wish someone could just spell it out in simple English and tell you what, if anything, you need to do to improve your heart and overall health? That's precisely what Cholesterol Clarity is designed to do. Jimmy Moore, a prolific and highly respected health blogger and podcaster, interviewed 28 of the world's top health experts from various fields to give you the complete lowdown on cholesterol.

Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

The New York Times best-selling author of Clean offers a groundbreaking program to eliminate minor and major health problems - from extra weight, chronic pain, and allergies to heart disease, inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and depression. All of today's most diagnosed ailments can be traced back to an injured and irritated gut. The gut is an intricate and powerful system naturally designed to protect and heal the body every moment of every day.

The Magnesium Miracle

Magnesium is an essential nutrient, indispensable to your health and well-being. By adding this mineral to your diet, you are guarding against - and helping to alleviate - such threats as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, arthritis, and asthma. But despite magnesium's numerous benefits, many Americans remain dangerously deficient. Updated and revised throughout with the latest research, this amazing guide explains the vital role that magnesium plays in your body and life.

Publisher's Summary

The devastating truth about the effects of wheat, sugar, and carbs on the brain, with a 30-day plan to achieve optimum health.

Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more. Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age.

He offers an in-depth look at how we can take control of our "smart genes" through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. With a revolutionary 30-day plan, Grain Brain teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better.

Please note that there are many references in this audiobook to information discussed in Chapter 10. Chapter 10 has been recorded in its entirety on this audiobook and all information contained in this chapter can be listened to in the recording.

What the Critics Say

"Dr. Perlmutter is the leading integrative medicine neurologist in North America today. His ability to fully integrate conventional medicine diagnosis and treatment with the latest innovations in nutritional and environmental medicine is phenomenal. As a teacher and clinician, he has fundamentally changed how physicians and patients think about neurological degeneration and, happily, regeneration." (Joseph Pizzorno, MD, coauthor of Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine)

"A provocative, eye-opening scientific account of how diet profoundly influences nerve health and brain function. Grain Brain explains how the American diet rich in gluten and inflammatory foods is linked to neurological conditions. Dr. Perlmutter outlines a blueprint for optimal health and a more resilient brain through proper nutrition and lifestyle. Grain Brain is a must-read!" (Gerard E. Mullin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and author of The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health)

I've read wheat belly, why we get fat (Gary taubes), and fat chance (Robert lustig) and this book is the weakest of the group of similar low carb books. This book states over and over that there is an association between Alzheimer's and wheat, but association does not equal cause and effect. Cause requires a randomized controlled trial, while associations could have nothing to do with cause and effect. For example, a propensity to develop Alzheimer's may lead to a hunger for carbs. Or hunger for carbs may lead to both eating more carbs and separately lead to Alzheimer's. In other words in order to prove cause and effect you would need to randomize people to either a high carb diet or low carb diet and see the incidences of Alzheimer's. If such a study exist is he doesn't mention it.

He mentions that you should give up dairy but gives no evidence to why this is in any way related to grain/gluten or even scientifically why dairy is bad. Ive reviewed the literature on dairy and I believe milk products to be ideal foods (cheese, milk, whey protein). The book, "the great cholesterol myth" does a more convincing job illustrating why cholesterol is not bad for you.

Grain brain gets off point by too often making non evidence based recommendations. Stating that studies show this or that without giving enough info to find and scrutinize these studies is not convincing. He makes a case for exercise helping the brain, but I didn't hear any journal names, authors, years of publication, or even the methodology of the studies. I will return this book and get my money back.

Not only should you not buy this book, but beware of his claims on supplements. Sure, grains may be not great for you, but to eliminate all carbs is not possible nor necessary to lose weight (he does day that 60 carbs per day are allowed). Read the boom, "mindless eating" by Brian Wansink if you want a more evidence based diet book with more reasonable recommendations.

A friend recommended this book and I was fearful it would be a tedious listen. My fears were not unfounded. I can't argue science with Dr. Perlmutter since it's above my pay grade. But others who can, have. And from what I've read (in both the book and responses by others) I think the jury has many more months or years of sequestration before the gluten menace can be verified among the non-celiac masses. I also found it ironic that Perlmutter's epilog made disparaging reference to pop culture fads and diets and completely missed the point that his offering was of the same ilk. Really wished that he had written an abridged version so that I could have spent half the time on this listen. I'll be requesting a refund.

This is a wonderful and well written book. There is so much information that it almost requires me to go back and review at least portions of the book.My only problem with this book is that it has several references to the PDF file for charts and lists but there is no PDF file with this audio book....?

I tend to take all of these things with a grain of salt (salt - is that healthy this week? Probably not)

I completely believe that “you are what you eat” but there are SO MANY different theories out there about doing it “the right way” that who do you ultimately believe? This doctor says A, another doctor swears by B, and yet another says C is the key to health and long life… so who’s the liar? (and are they all doctors?) Do you just go with whoever sounds the most credible and who presented their hypothesis in the most factual way? and if so, did you fact-check their research? How can you REALLY be sure it’s all correct? And of course… who funded them? Am I really getting both sides of the argument?

Regarding this book in particular, I can’t help but feel that he is selling fear and the miracle pill to solve everything. “Even if you have no symptoms, you can be at high risk… unless you do as I say” “Do you suffer from any of these symptoms? ____________ (insert endless list of ailments), well read on because I have the cure!” – there is an element of false hope in there somewhere. I’m not saying he is lying, or wrong, or anything like that – it’s just that the tone of his book seems a little foreboding and ominous. Perhaps he is just trying to express how serious the issue is, but to me it just left me feeling doomed.

Personally, I really believe that no one method will have the same impact or work in the same way in different people’s bodies. I think the answer is somewhere in the middle where the zillions of nutrition theories intersect; I don’t think there is such a thing as a “universal answer” aside from: put the fork down and go for a walk!

In conclusion I would say it’s an informative book, it’s all very interesting … but pass the salt.

An incredible book based on a lifestyle change unlike any other out there. It goes against traditional dietary concepts that once applied to your daily living, your health,body and brain take on a whole new positive outcome. I've been in this program for quit a while and I got rid of all my neuro medication and other pills for physical pains. I am at the healthiest I've ever been. And my waist line went down 3 sizes. I'm a slim 31 men's waist at 49. My abs are beginning to show. That's the bonus. But the best of all is the brain. My days now are with a take-charge attitude. I'm at my best most of the time. And the energy is crazy. I highly recommend and dare you to make the change. It's worth it for your health.

What made the experience of listening to Grain Brain the most enjoyable?

That I learned so much while I was driving or making dinner. Such and engaging book. He really put the effort in teaching us how to improve our lives by doing small changes that give great results.

What other book might you compare Grain Brain to and why?

Dr. Mercola's No Grain Diet, I wish they wold have the AUDIO version of that book, I go through audiobooks so quickly as oppose to reading the books, I don't have the time.

What does Peter Ganim bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He has a great voice, very professional and you can totally picture a good doctor talking to you. Very kind but also very firm and determined. Great voice actor.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen to it while I get ready to go to work, and while driving to work, while cooking dinner. I can't listen to 9 hrs in one day. I probably wouldn't assimilate all the information in one day but by listening to 1 to 2 hrs a day was perfect!

Any additional comments?

I truly loved it! this is the review that I posted in other places like good reads and amazon:I just finished listening to the AUDIO version of this amazing book that I think EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS PLANET should read or listen, regardless if you are ALLERGIC to GLUTEN or not, GLUTEN AFFECTS US ALL, and most importantly, it affects our BRAINS our MOOD and MEMORY, so QUIT BREAD AND SUGAR! you will feel AMAZING!. It would improve your quality of life immensely if you follow his advice on cutting any GLUTEN containing food like bread, pasta, cakes, chips... and instead increase you consumption on healthy fats like COCONUT OIL, OLIVE OIL, RAW BUTTER, NUTS, AVOCADOS...

I have quit bread for a while, not completely but I would only have some indulgences on the weekends like having a hamburger once in a while, but pretty much no bread or pasta or cakes during the week. I am a 34 year old woman, my height is 5'3" and I went from 150lb to 116lb by working out 2hrs every day (P90X, Zumba, spinning) and eating healthy: Lots of fresh organic vegetables (mostly green), protein like turkey and cage free chicken, wild salmon, grass fed beef, 2 cups of fruit a day (no more), 1oz (1 handful) of raw nuts like pecans, pumping seeds, cashews, almonds... and cooking only with COCONUT OIL, I make my own dressing for my daily salad with OLIVE AND COCONUT Oil, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and tons of herbs and TURMERIC and for desert 1 cube of organic NON-GMO dark chocolate.

I've had this way of eating for more than a year but I would cheat to bad on the weekends and I was 121lb and I wanted to loose those last 5 stubborn pounds , now after reading this AMAZING INFORMATIVE book I quit bread for good, I feel much better and I lost the last 5 pounds that I wanted to loose.

Thank you Dr. Perlmutter for this INCREDIBLE book that you put together... You rock!

The PDF and references more than equip you for the road ahead. I would suggest listening the second time and bookmarking the areas of interest.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Grain Brain?

The results of the science after implementation.

What about Peter Ganim’s performance did you like?

Well spoken and keeps your interest with his tone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The amount of sugar in whole wheat bread that's thought to be healthy.

Any additional comments?

You are what you eat, Genetically modified doesn't mean better The book "Grain brain" fills the over all body effect that this waist line specific book does not address. In stating this It is very important to read/listen to them both. I started a diet and vitamin program after I read them both. I have struggled with my wait for the last 5 years. I exercise 3 to 5 days a week. Nothing has helped me loose my waist. To test the science i did nothing for two and a half weeks at the gym ( I wanted to see what diet and vitamins alone would do). I did the one day fast and started the vitamins and diet set up in the books. I lost just over 20 pounds in 19 days. I really didn't believe it would work much less in the time that it did. I'm also much less hungry than I was even after reimplementation of my work out program."TRY IT" Before you dismiss the science.

This is a fascinating book. This book talks about the reality of the dangers of ingesting gluten. The first book about the harm gluten can bring to one's life I read is called wheat belly, and that one emphasizes the digestory system and illnesses that can be caused by gluten in general. Very informative.Grain Brain, however, also talks about this reality and more, because it alerts us about what gluten and carbs can do to our brain. It brings so many shocking things that I felt like I was reading a horror book. If you want to keep living long, healthily and with a lucid brain, I'd advise you to read this one. You will be amazed at what you will discover. And if a gluten free reality is also yours, you might as well read this one too in order to find out about the latest researches in the field. I highly recommend it.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I'm glad I listened to the book, but I probably should have started with an easier "Grain Brain for Dummies" or something to that nature as I'm a newcomer to this lifestyle. It kept my interest for 9.5 hours so it wasn't horrible.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Less percentages and surveys - difficult to understand for someone who is not a doctor.

What aspect of Peter Ganim’s performance would you have changed?

Nothing

Could you see Grain Brain being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

What made the experience of listening to Grain Brain the most enjoyable?

This is one of the best books I read in last few wks, information is practical, true and supported by medical literature. Writer also underlines where the information is taken from and provides solutions, as well proof.

What did you like best about this story?

what we can do to help ourself by living better

Have you listened to any of Peter Ganim’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

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